Imitation
by ValorTheory
Summary: Sci-fi Eren/Levi AU. Levi, an agent searching for valuable information to sell on the black market, discovers Project Jaeger at Titan Labs. It starts out as a simple recon mission, but he wasn't expecting to get attached to a human weapon. All in all, Levi plans for Eren to see daylight. Even if it kills him.
1. Experiments

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan.

...

[Recording]

There are certain things I can't stand in life. The most infuriating is filth. It doesn't matter what it is, but I need it to be clean, efficient, and spotless. That's part of why I got this job in the first place. I don't like messy. Messy slows down the process, and the process needs to be quick and painless.

I guess that didn't stop you though.

Eren, I know you probably won't forgive me. I don't expect that. I never did. And I really tried to makes things work out. I really, truly did. I wanted that more than I've ever wanted anything. But it didn't. And this is how things have to be. I tried to minimize the casualties – I like things clean after all. But I couldn't save everything. I couldn't save you for certain. I couldn't save us. I couldn't even save myself. And now, you're in that room, and you're probably terrified.

I just want you to know that I'm sorry. For what little time you might have left, I want you to know what actually happened. It won't make anything better. There's...nothing at this point that I can tell you to put you at ease and fix everything. It's too late for that. But maybe you can at least understand why it all came to this, Eren. That has to count for something, right?

...

[Recording]

Eren, you're smart, so by now you've asked yourself when I even had time to record this stupid video and set it up to play for you in the maybe last hour or so of your life. You'll learn the main answer in a moment, but there's also the fact that this is something that I knew this might happen. For the most part, I expected it. I tried to prevent it, but I wanted to be prepared in case I couldn't. What you're hearing now is from just a few hours before everything will begin to end. The night before. I'll finish this up, head down to the lab, program this stupid thing to play for you, and pull out my last-ditch effort to stop things. I don't really think I can do much at this point, but I want you to make it out of there, so I'll do it anyway. No matter what happens, whether you make it out or not (and I'm afraid it might be more likely that you won't) I'll be dead. Either way I die tomorrow.

The rest of this, well, they're from those days. A journal, I suppose. From here on out, it's a history lesson. A history that you were part of.

And...just one more thing...I-I never said it. I never wanted to because then...it would just be too real and I'd know for certain that this...this thing was going to break me. And nothing has ever broken me before. I've always been clean and contained. But you fucking did it, Eren. You broke me like nothing else ever has. And I wish I never met you. I fucking hate you for doing this.

I wish I never met you...because I love you.

...

[Recording]

Fuck. How do people even use these things? The lighting is shit. Whatever. The agency wants me to put down a video report, so here it is. Operative code: 25884. Levi. I've been assigned to infiltrate Titan Labs and investigate a run of experiments they're conducting. Not for the law, of course. The Scout Agency is about profit. We collect a bunch of hush-hush intel and sell it off to the highest bidder. New drugs, weaponry, biotic weapons...you name it. And of course, the only reason I even have to bother explaining this shit is because Erwin told me they might use this this crap to teach the new diaper wetters that get recruited. Whatever. Anyway, the latter is what I'm here for. Rumor is that they've got someone down there they're testing on to make a human weapon, and man does Hanji love the gossip wheel.

Tch...Fuck, Erwin. Look at this shit. Undercover infiltration? Reconnaissance? Hacking? How is it you gave me the most stereotypical recon mission in the world? Brilliant. Starting the babies with the reinforced stereotypes. You're going to owe me a beer after this one.

Moving on. I'll be falsifying I.D. as a new technician to get in, and I'll just stick around and watch for a couple of months. Take notes. That kind of thing. If things escalate, well... I'm more than capable of removing the source of conflict. And, kids, make sure to write this down along with any reminder of what little self-esteem you have: when I say _that, _it's code speak for: I can and will kill shit. Brutally. Got that?

Fuck. This is going to be boring.

...

[Recording]

I've been in the labs for about three weeks now, and today I finally got into their underground facility. There's some fucked up shit going on down there. My "boss" took me on a tour, led me through a pretty elaborate tunnel system. It's nearly a mile underground, and there was some sort of human rights violation around every corner. They've got all kinds of experiments running down there. Messing with genes, chemical enhancements, mechanization...for fuck's sake I saw a goddamn cyborg.

The kid – and yes, it was a kid – lost his arm somehow. He was announced dead after his accident, so Titans Labs saw no reason to waste a perfectly decent test subject when no one would go looking for him. So half of his face and his whole right arm is robotic. They rebuilt some of his brain as well, which is why he doesn't remember anything outside the lab. Only his name. I think his last name is Bodt or Bott or something. And if that's not cruel irony then I don't know what the fuck is.

Newbies, you gotta learn to laugh a little at shit like that in this profession. Otherwise, your panties get all bunched up in your uncomfortables, and that makes it really hard to get your pathetic life over with.

I didn't speak with him, but apparently he's free to roam as long as he stays on his floor or lower. I have a feeling I'll be seeing more of him. Who knows?

Anyway, then we went down two more floors, and after about half a dozen different security checkpoints, I got my first glimpse of what I was looking for.

Project Jaeger.

We got down to this big, circular, white room with monitors running all up the walls. In the center, of course, is this pod chamber. And the glass was a little foggy, but I could still make out what was inside. It was another damn kid. I swear that all these scientists are pedos or some shit. But yeah, the kid. Brown hair, scrawny, and probably a couple inches taller than me. And _this_ is the human weapon everyone in the underground's been so hyped up about. Fuck, I almost laughed.

But then my 'boss' started talking about what a marvel he was going to be. I mean, she got really excited about it. Not as excited as Hanji gets of course, but she's a lunatic, so it's not a fair comparison. And this ass crack just starts going off and running her mouth. She's not telling me anything really useful, of course. I haven't earned my place yet. But she at least gives me the background.

The kid in the pod? His father put him there. That's what she told me. Dr. Grisha Jaeger. He used to work in the genetics and bio-enhancement department of Titan Labs. She said that the brat's name is Eren Jaeger, and that Grisha had been working on an enhancement formula. Obviously to make a weapon of some sort. No specification there.

But this formula he made, it would only work on certain types of genetics. There had to be a specific gene in one of the chromosomes for the solution to latch onto and activate once injected. Some sequence of alleles. Eren was a match. One of the only matches they could find that was readily accessible.

At this point, Eren was five years old. And, Dr. Grisha had apparently become unstable since the death of his wife, and decided to go ahead use his own son in testing. They moved him into the labs and began with small doses of the formula everyday that gradually increased. But, _shocker,_ something went wrong.

He was too old for the formula to make it's adaptations without destroying the genetic material underneath. He fell ill, and he was going to die. Grisha seemed to come to his senses at this point, because she told me that he applied to postpone testing until Eren got better. The way she said it though, shit, made it sound like _now _he was going crazy.

He was denied by his supervisors and the board, so he tried to smuggle his son out of the lab. Big mistake. Security shot him down dead, and Eren was about to kick the bucket. So their scientist took him and extracted his DNA, and they tried to preserve him for as long as possible, but it was too late.

Eren Jaeger died four years ago.

The boy in the pod? He's a clone. And he's stable because they immediately integrated the formula with his DNA before he could develop beyond the compatibility range. The Eren I was looking at was four years old, though he has the body of someone closer to eighteen.

Miss Science Bitch explained that they accelerated the development process so he would be ready sooner. She said I'm lucky to be joining the Labs now because they're going to wake him up in a week.

This place is disgusting.

...

[Recording]

I've been reassigned to work under a woman named Annie Leonhart. She's the head of the Jaeger Project, and I fucking despise her already. She keeps getting in the way, pulling some dipshit assignment for me out of her ass somehow managing to interrupt every time I get close to new information.

But no matter. Today was important. They woke up Eren Jaeger.

I got pulled in to watch for some reason – part of my initiation, I suppose. Of course, they threatened me with certain death if I leak information, but, in my line of work, I get that a lot. Haven't faced certain death yet. They also keep telling me that I have potential to make it big in this organization, which seems as laughable to me as their threats.

Everyone circled around the pod with their lab coats and notepads (so what if I was wearing one too?)and the stasis liquid was drained out through the grate under his feet. The breathing mask popped off and they removed the electrodes before the chamber finally opened.

I'll be honest here. Seeing him take his first breath of real air...it was surreal. His eyes opened and some people jumped a little. They were bright green. I was standing near the front, and he looked right at me just before he collapsed. They built him with some muscle mass, but he doesn't know how to use it yet.

He had that clichéd deer-in-the-headlights expression as they pulled him up on a gurney and took him to the medical wing. Annie told me to follow her into the infirmary, and when we arrived he had fully come to.

They had hooked him up to monitors and his heartbeat was crazy fast on that machine. He was strapped down, though I doubt he could have made it anywhere if he tried. He was squirming on the bed. Annie moved to stand over him and said, "Imitari," which I learned is Latin for "copy." It seems to be a controlling device or code, because he shut down after she said it. It was like she hypnotized him, so I'm betting there's a microchip or something implanted in his brain.

She addressed him by his name, and told him to nod if he understood her. He did. That means they found some way to educate him while he was growing in the pod. Have to look into that. She asked him to speak. He couldn't.

She recorded some data on his vitals. Kid has a ridiculous temperature, but she assured me that one hundred and one degrees was to be expected from him. We left him in there with the other doctors, and I'm supposed to start working with Leonhart on him as an assistant. This is a little problematic. I need to get close enough to this to get the information I need, but getting too close, this close, is dangerous. I'll have to be extremely careful from here on out.

...

[Recording]

Sorry, I'm interrupting the story for a second. In the slight chance that Eren makes it out of all this alive, I've sent this recording to Hanji and Erwin. And Eren, you'll see this anyway. Actually, as you're watching this...I'm probably on my way to the control center right now. Now, whether you get to walk out of that room or not is something I don't know.

But to Hanji, you need this information. I want you to do me a favor and try to reverse engineer the formula for an antidote. There are other labs under Titan jurisdiction with other experiments similar to Eren. He was the prototype, and they expanded to at least three known subjects by the names of Reiner, Bertholdt, and Ymir. Find them and help them and Eren if he makes it out. Shut down Titan Industries. I want them wiped off the face of the fucking planet. This is outside the agency. This is personal. Fuck them in the ass with anything you've got that'll hurt.

I've attached the chemical formula I managed to swipe.

Eren, if by some miracle you live, find Hanji. Find Erwin. They'll help you. I promise that. And, try to put all of this behind you. Live your life and all that philosophical shit... Not all of the world wants to inject you with needles and stick you in a pod. Just the part you came from.

...Fuck...

...I'm so sorry...

...

[Recording]

He's mute. That's the final verdict. Apparently mixing up his genes had some side effects, but this seems to be the only major one.

It's been two weeks since they woke him up, and I still haven't learned much about what this mystery formula was supposed to do to make him so dangerous. He's actually very tame. Not just because he can't speak, but it's just in his demeanor. He's...delicate. The only thing that gives away his unique biotic structure is that his eyes seem to almost glow. They're green and bright, and his gaze has a mystic feeling about it. Aside from that, no one would ever suspect that he's anything more than a normal, skinny teenager.

He does get frustrated sometimes though. That whole not being able to speak thing gets to him sometimes, and he'll throw a hissy fit until I tell him to knock it off before I punch him.

Today, Annie left me alone with him for nearly two hours. This leads me to believe that they're not worried about him going berserk, which means there has to be some kind of trigger. I'm wondering if it's another code word.

But anyway, for two hours I just babysat this kid. They've given him a special room to stay in. Reinforced white walls, a bed with white sheets, attached bathroom, and he has to wear a white uniform. I like things to be clean, but the heavy sterile nature of the room is too much for even me to be comfortable with.

Eren Jaeger, I found out, is still human. I mean, on an emotional level. Somewhere else in the facility, a weapons test went wrong and there was a small explosion. He became frightened, and grabbed me. He can perform basic motor functions now.

I told him to get off of me, but he wouldn't. And he's actually really fucking strong, so I eventually gave up on trying to pry him off. I finally started to rub his back – comfort him or whatever. At least get him to relax enough to get off. Instead, the brat literally crawls into my lap and decides to nod off.

But, I've learned to make the best of an issue, so I tried to look for anything else unusual while he was so close. Nothing. He's mute. His eyes glow. His regular temperature is around 101. He's a brat. That's all I know so far. I only have another two and a half months before I have to pull out of here, so I need to make more progress and fast.

...

[Recording]

That day...that was the first hint, Eren. I didn't say it in there, but after I couldn't find anything else, I just let you sleep. I could have pushed you off. But there was something incredible about the way you just trusted me so easily...about the way you just breathed. I don't know what it was.

And I know this whole thing is out of character for me, Hanji. But fuck you. It's my legacy. It's the last thing I get to say. I'll do what I want, and what I want is to tell the truth.

...For a guy that's had to lie about one thing or another almost his whole life, I don't think it's too much to ask that I get to speak honestly for once.

...

[Recording]

This is...getting out of hand. Two days ago... shit. Two days ago Leonhart put me on primary supervision. In other words: head babysitter. She said good results came out of him spending time with me, so she wants to keep that up. It's fucking insane. I'm supposed to hang out with this kid and spend a decent four hours a day with him when I should be distancing myself. And this is taking away time I could be using to snoop and get this over with already.

So now I've got the Jaeger Project, the human weapon of supposed mass destruction, trying to hug me any chance he gets. It's fucking ridiculous.

And...I don't know... The problem is really that, as much as I'm complaining, I really don't mind that much. Hell, it's been three days and I'm starting to like the brat. That's not supposed to happen. That gets messy. That's not clean.

Shit. I'll have to cut that out before I submit it to Erwin. Never mind.

Basically, my job entails watching him and trying to teach him how to communicate. We've given him a white board to write on to talk to us, but spelling is a work in progress. He draws a lot. Mostly the things he sees, since he hasn't been in contact with the rest of the world. I mean, he doesn't know what a cat is. He'll draw the bed or desk or his hand. He, uh, draws me a lot. Actually, I'm most of what he does. It's bizarre.

He's getting better at it though. I'll give him that much.

It's only a matter of time before they start really testing him. He's able to move around well now, and he can say a few things. Well, write them anyway. Point is, things are going to change soon, so maybe I'll be able to get more work done.

I'm going to really find out what he's capable of.

...

_Author's Notes: Okay, this is a thing. It's a very odd thing I just started writing and it came to life on its own. Weird how that happens sometimes. Anyway, let me know if you like it! As always, your support is greatly appreciated._

_Thanks,_

_ValorTheory_


	2. Decisions, Decisions

[Recording]

There have been some, ah, key events recently, and... Ah, fuck it!

Erwin, where the _hell_ did you send me? I just saw them...shit! This might be even beyond me.

Alright. Alright. I'm not a wuss. It's fine. This is what happened: Eren is able to write and draw well enough to communicate the basics. Why they didn't teach him sign language, I'll never know. But, he can ask for water, food, that sort of thing. So, the scientists told me that we're ready for the next step.

I followed them down to the last level of the underground facility. The ceiling there is unrealistically high, so it's a cavern roughly twenty meters tall. And, I didn't understand what we were doing there. They had Eren sit out in the middle of the room while we all went back up to watch from a highly protected observation balcony.

I know what he can do as a human weapon now.

They shot him. There were two robots on the ground with the kid that shot him three times. And he's mute, so he can't yell, but, fuck... The look on his face was all I needed. And I know from experience. That shit hurts. And then it happened; there was this burst of lightning – same color as his eyes. Green. And, I'm thinking, that's impossible, but then I look down, and I don't see Eren anymore.

You newbies better pray hard you don't ever get an assignment like this.

There was just this giant eye looking right at me, and I realized that this thing was fifteen meters tall.

...This thing's eyes were green. Just like Eren. It was him. They've made it so he can turn into some kind of giant. Leonhart told me he would give Titan Industries its name. He's the first 'titan.'

I suppose they were expecting him to be as docile as he regularly is, but that's not what happened. Instead, he started rampaging. He was beating on the cavern walls, and I thought for a minute that the entire place would collapse. The window of the observation deck cracked, the robots on the ground were smashed, and the whole facility was shaking. But they had a backup plan, of course, and they shot him down with enough tranquilizers to kill a whale.

After that, the body started to steam for some reason, and the skin, muscles, and bones began to deteriorate. And I looked down, and I could make out Eren in that thing. It was like he was being eaten or something. The flesh of the titan body was growing _into_ him, like he was infused with the muscles. He was right in the nape of the neck, and five guardsmen or so were already down there trying to cut him out.

He had red patches on his skin where he'd been connected, and he was unconscious. They strapped him on a gurney and wheeled him out to the infirmary. Leonhart sent me after them to retrieve the medic's report when he was done examining Eren.

When I got there, he was still out of it, but I got a glimpse at his readings. His temperature was at 106 degrees, and the bullet wounds were completely healed somehow.

I got the medic's report and photographed it to send to command. You'll find the files attached to my video report as well, once I'm done here.

After I gave the file to Leonhart, she sent me back to 'monitor' and make sure Eren was stable when he woke up. Basically, she still wants me on babysitting duty. I don't mind all that much though.

He didn't wake up for another hour, and he was incredibly confused when he did. I think he thought he was still in that thing, because he was acting like an animal at first. Damn near tore open a vein the way he was thrashing around with that IV in his arm. I, um, calmed him enough to explain what had happened, and he finally took a deep breath and started drawing more pictures. He drew me again, and then some purple flower.

He looked scared. He looked really, really scared.

...

[Recording]

You remember how I calmed you down, right? I was embarrassed to say it in an official report, but you know, Eren. I held you. You were shaking and frightened so I just held you until you were breathing right again. You've got quite the grip, you know.

Anyway...

...

[Recording]

I met him again. The cyborg kid I mentioned earlier? The one missing an arm. His name is Marco, and he's almost seventeen years old. I got to talking to him when we ran into each other on my way out of Eren's cell.

He said he's been here as long as he can remember. Partly because of head injuries from his initial accident, and partly because they messed with his brain and implanted a microscopic computer.

Erwin, I'm beginning to think that this isn't information to merely sell to the highest bidder. That maybe we should forget the money and destroy this place instead. I'm not entirely sure. I've been having odd thoughts lately. I've never wanted to do anything other than the basic mission. Normally, you'd swap someone out if you thought they'd been compromised, but we can't exactly do that here. It doesn't matter.

Marco told me that he met Eren once – the first one. Somehow, that...disturbed me. To hear him talk about the dead little boy I know as a mute teenager. But, Marco appears to be unlikely to remain faithful to the Titans if given enough pressure. I'm going to keep it in mind.

Also, Leonhart has officially made it my duty to keep watch over Eren. This is a mixed fortune. I need to maintain my distance, on one hand, if I am to remain within the parameters of my mission. On the other, it is useful to be so near the target of interest. Either way, there's no helping it now. I'll just have to be flexible.

I will see to him for the majority of the day from now on. At least until I make my leave. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

...

[Recording]

Things are escalating. Quickly. Their ramping up the tests on Eren, and it's honestly difficult to stomach. The first time they had him turn into this 'titan' creature a week ago was an abnormality. He must be injured, and have a directive of some sort. A goal. They've learned this at the cost of several bullets in his skin. It worries me.

Several times, Leonhart has accompanied me to Eren's place in the recovery ward after a test to poke and pry. He usually has some sort of panic attack until she says that code word again. "Imitari."

Copy...

By the time she leaves us alone, he has woken up from the trigger somewhat, and I just hand him his sketch pad and pencil...It seems that lately, his eyes have dimmed a little. They don't glow as much anymore. He's also becoming more and more aggressive after waking up at first. And he doesn't use colors when he draws anymore. Only for the purple flowers. I've stopped bringing him any other colored pencil but that lavender.

It's starting to get to me.

...

[Recording]

Eren, that word, 'imitari –' it doesn't affect you anymore. You've noticed by now. One of the first things I'll be doing tonight is shutting down the signal device that controls the microchip they implanted in your brain. You're free from that, at least.

...I do wish I could have seen you one last time. Just for a proper goodbye. Not just this sad video. It's rather beneath me. But it's all I can manage, so you'll have to deal.

...

[Recording]

I'm getting deeper and deeper into this mess as I go along. Much deeper than I would like. It's getting cluttered now. It's not going to be clean when I pull out of here.

Yesterday, I noticed the dots in the crease of Eren's elbow. The doctors frequently draw his blood for sampling, but usually turning into a titan heals him. Now I'm starting to see scars. I wonder how that's even possible, but I think that asking that now is a little late in the game.

I've sort of...befriended...Marco. He showed me some of the secret pathways and corridors in the underground, which will no doubt come in handy later. He's quiet and soft spoken, but I think that's because he pays attention to his surroundings.

Today, Eren handed me another one of his drawings. He's improved remarkably. It was just another one of those flowers, and I was holding it. A few minutes later, Leonhart came back in to drag him out for more tests. They want to see how far they can stretch him now. How much pain his healing abilities can handle.

They strapped him to an upright lab table. His hands and feet were completely enclosed in these metal spheres that were attached to the walls. Then they...fuck...they, um...

They started cutting him. They would cut him with one of the robots, across his chest or at his tendons, and he's still mute, so he opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

And I...I...

He just...

Fuck it! Erwin, I want to get out of here! This place is psychotic! I couldn't watch, okay?! I had to look away so I wouldn't go berserk and shut off the fucking robots and stick them up Leonhart's ass!

But I could still hear him bleeding on the floor. And somehow that was worse than not looking, so I made myself watch, and he just stared at me the whole time. And then something snapped, because his titan arms suddenly grew out of nowhere and crushed the devices and their knives.

He started panicking again, because he'd never seen what he actually does during those tests. He's actually killed seven scientists. He was trying to yank himself out, and he was crying. The guard immediately went to subdue him, and I couldn't let them.

So, somehow I ended up in front of the brat. I got the guards to back off, and set about getting Eren back to his cell. By the time I pulled him out of the arms, his chest was steaming at the lacerations. They were already fading. He was at least on the verge of going into shock.

I hauled him back, and sent a message to Leonhart that there would be no more testing for the rest of the day.

I got him onto his bed and shut the door, and when I turned around he was curled up in a ball. I probably should have just left to settle things after my outburst, but I sat next to him. Immediately, he was clinging onto me again.

I...didn't push him off.

I've been...compromised. I've let things get messy... After a few minutes, he took a deep breath...and he kissed my cheek. He went to sleep after, and I left.

I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I just don't.

...

[Recording]

But, I did know what would happen. Or, at least, I had a vague notion. I told myself all that night that I would have to pull out that second. At least get a position farther away from you. But I knew I didn't have the heart to leave. And I knew from that moment...the moment you kissed me...my mission was different. I wasn't collecting data anymore. I was plotting our escape. I had a different directive.

If you hadn't done that one little thing, then maybe I'd be waking up tomorrow. I'd be waking up tomorrow as a hollow flask of a man with no wholesome purpose in life.

...

[Recording]

It's been a week. I went back to tend to Eren, and now it's become a habit. Him kissing me on the cheek. And I let him. I let him because he doesn't have anything but his sketch pad, a lavender pencil, and a psychotic break about to pounce on him, and I figure he damn well deserves to kiss me if he wants to. He deserves at least that much.

I know that's sentimental bullshit. To be honest, I don't care that much anymore. I've seen him experiencing the most pain a person can imagine, and I've been with him in the aftermath when no one's looking. I care now. I fucking care. I'll admit that. I'll still do my job, but I care now.

I know what's going to happen now. I'm going to turn in this report when I get back, and then I'm going to get fired. And that's because I've made up my mind. Eren – I'm going to break him out of here. I'm still working out how, but I will. He's going to see daylight. I've promised him.

Sorry, Erwin. But I've reached a crossroads, and I don't think I'll be able to live with myself if I leave without him. That's the way it has to be.

...

[Recording]

I don't know if you could tell, Eren, but I almost said it back there. I almost said that I loved you. But it was scary enough to deal with changing the entire framework of my life. I wasn't ready for that too. But I think you have an idea of when I began to accept it.

...

[Recording]

Today was...I don't know of any word for it. It was bad, but then, it was good. Now, I'm mostly just confused.

They started testing early this morning. They set him on a treadmill, and they just had him run. At first, I was relieved because I thought that they would take it easy with him, but that, like most things I've found lately, changed.

He'd been running for nearly an hour when they started to increase the speed. Quickly. They had him hooked up to all kinds of monitors, and pretty soon his heart rate was all over the place. He started to fumble, and he couldn't really breathe. But when it looked like he was going to stop and hop off, Annie walked over to him and said, _"Obedire." _

His eyes froze up and he got that blank stare. They injected him with something, and she just told him to keep running.

So he did.

And after a minute, he seemed to shake out of that trance, but he couldn't stop running. He didn't have control. He started to panic because he couldn't breathe right, and he was still going. He looked at me, and I wanted to pull him down and run him back to his cell, but Leonhart was watching me closely, and I couldn't risk it. I couldn't do anything.

I can't even begin to comprehend what that's like. To have no say over anything you do, not even with you own body. It's the ultimate prison, and Leonhart's an asshat of a warden.

He's a fucking kid. He's a fucking kid and what am I supposed to do?

...They left him up there like that for another hour. Then Leonhart said, "Stop." and he stopped running when they turned off the treadmill. He took one step off of it and crumpled. She told me to take him back, and I carried him there after I got him hooked up to an oxygen mask.

When we returned, he was still gasping for air, so I made him stand up and put his hands behind his head to expand his lungs. He protested at first, but then he calmed down and took a lot of long, deep breaths. You would've thought air was gold the way he savored it.

He crashed on his bed, took the mask off, and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. And it bothered me to see how empty his eyes were. He looked defeated. I expected him to cry again, and for a moment, his bottom lip quivered. But he didn't. I think he didn't want to have any more deprivations of air.

I honestly would have felt better if he'd cried though. I know how to handle that by now. I don't know how to handle that silence. I don't know how to handle him giving up.

He was sweaty and filthy, so I convinced him to take a shower. When he moved to stand up though, his legs were too shaky to hold him up, so I carried him to the bath. His face didn't change the whole time. It was just...sad. And I missed his fire. He had fire before.

I helped him undress and I eased him into the water. While I was soaping him down, he just stared at his hands. Once he was completely clean, wrapped in a towel, he looked at me very strangely. His hair was limp with water and it trickled down his neck and back and calves. And his eyes were still glowing in that odd way.

I moved first. I remember that. I initiated it. I took his face and kissed him.

It's very weird now that I think about it. I kissed a clone and genetic experiment that can grow fifteen meters tall. I kissed someone that's technically four years old.

And I can't help but think that it's one of the better things I've done in my life. Right next to breaking Erwin's nose in college.

We stayed there for a long time. And before I knew it he was up against the wall. He didn't really know what he was doing, but he was so into it. I went to pull away, and he just tugged me back.

So for almost twenty minutes, I basically taught him how to make out. When I looked at him again, there was something. There was a little glow.

We had to stop though. Leonhart was going to expect me soon for a report. So I pried him off me as gently as possible and helped him get dressed again. His legs were still shaky. I started to leave, but he motioned for me to hand him his drawing pad.

He got very focused on his drawing, and I almost made him stop when he started crying. He wasn't sobbing. There were just quiet tears rolling down his face. So he finished it, and he showed it to me, and it turns out it wasn't a drawing at all.

He made me take it, and I was about to read his letter when the intercom blasted into the room and Leonhart called me down. She has the worst timing. So, I ended up folding it up in my pocket and rushing out the door after saying a quick goodbye.

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, so I guess I'll do that now. Where is it? Ah. There.

Okay, I'm going to scan it and put it up as a slide in this stupid fucking report. I don't want to read it out loud. This is what it says:

_Levi_

_I stiLL can't spell very good. But I am going to try to rite to you now bekus I have a lot of things in my head that I wanT to say. I can't bekus I can't talk like other peeple. You have a nice voice._

_I don't like living heer. I don't like the peeple in the wite coats and I feel bad things in my chest when they do things to me You ar the only person that puts good things in my chest. When the peeple are doing things to me I SEE you. And you have a face that makes me think that you have bad thinGs in your chest to. I think the woRd for it is GuiLt. I'm not for shure thou. Plees don't make that face. I don't want you to have bad things in your chest._

_You ar very NicE to me. I like your hare and eys a lot. I want to say thank you when you do nice things for me. I wish that you cood be with me all the time._

_I also like face toching you. I don't know what the word for it is. Maybee you can tell me later._

_I just want to say thank you bekus I really like you. I know that I can't use as many words as you or tock with my MouTh. And my leter probly isn't very good. But its the best I cAn do rite now._

_You make good things in my chest._

...

...I...

I have to get him out.

...

_Author's Note:Dun-dun-dun! I'm definitely taking more time between posts on this one, but I think it's worth it. Let me know what you think!_

_Thanks,_

_ValorTheory _


	3. The Sky's Worth

[Recording]

I think that by now you should be able to hear it. The explosions. The fighting. The ruckus. You should still be in your room since I put it under lockdown. Actually, the only way I could be sure that this sappy recording would play in there was to have it up on all of the monitors in the facility. Anyone in the building is watching if they're not dead yet. So, don't try to break out. Wait there. I want you out. I want you to see the sky for the first time, Eren. Trust me and do as I say.

I never really thought the sky was anything special until you asked me what it was. Don't do anything to rob yourself from that.

Anyway, by this point, I should be at least near the main control room. I'm leaking all of their files to the Scouting Agency. Titan Industries will fall. And to be certain of that, I'm going to set it to self-destruct before they can move any other experiments away.

It's odd. You'll never see me in my real uniform. You'll only remember me in that ugly lab coat. See, my actual work clothes are much sexier. All black, combat boots, a handgun, and dual blades because shooting some kind of acid tank or some shit would not be smart.

I'd honestly rather you see me killing people in that than think I was one of those fucking scientists.

But you don't. You always knew I was never really one of them, didn't you?

...

[Recording]

Eren met Marco today. They seem to like each other pretty well, and I can't complain about another person that doesn't want to hurt him. It's good.

By the time cyborg-boy left, his eyes seemed brighter to me. It was nice to see him like that. With a real friend. I've been becoming progressively more protective of him, which doesn't do me any good when they take him for testing.

I do have to confess that, well, Eren's learned another habit. One that I share with him. After every experiment (as long as he's still conscious) we sit together for a long time...and we, well, pretty much just make out.

Fuck, I'm just like a teenager. It's humiliating.

It's nice though. It takes my mind off of how awful things are. And I think it helps him too. He gets completely relaxed, lays back, and he just enjoys it. I'm glad I can give him that much.

It's funny...I never expected to get attached to the subject of my mission.

Eren may not be able to speak or write well, but he's actually very intelligent. He guessed that I don't actually work for Titan Labs, though, with our relationship, I suppose it probably wasn't very hard to put together. I've told him that I'm going to break him out, but for now, we have to play along.

I think he believes I originally came here to free him. I don't think I'll tell him what my first intentions were. Besides, they don't matter now. I flushed those down the fucking toilet.

Anyway, I stole an access card into the master control room. That's where the entire facility is regulated, and it holds the archives for each experiment's technical make-up. In other words, this is the place to find out how Eren's biology ticks. Maybe I'll find something on that code word or his genetics. Something useful.

I'm going to go in tomorrow after hours. There should only be a few monitor technicians, so I'll just fib my way into the archives. If all goes well, I'll have what I need to begin making preparations. I'll give an update tomorrow.

...

[Recording]

I was able to find the files I needed. Everything they keep – at least the super sensitive information – is on a hard copy. Not a computer. In a way, that's smart. I would've just hacked the system if that's where they were, but now they have no way to trace me or know that I found them.

Of course, the techs in the control room bought whatever bullshit it was I sold them, and let me into the archives without supervision. The main room down there is basically a library, and I couldn't find anything relating to project Jaeger there. Of course, there were some interesting files I thought the Scouting Agency could use, so naturally I made copies to attach to my report.

I finally wandered over to a corridor lined with different vaults. One of them was labeled Jaeger, so I hacked the keypad to get in.

Point is, I know how to shut down those code words now.

And those other files I stole? Details on the construction of the facility and all of its major components. Like a body's organs. Turns out, Marco doesn't know every back path. There's actually a secret elevator accessible from Eren's quarters. I think it was supposed to be a security mechanism. In case they needed to move him above ground quickly. The only way to open it is from Leonhart's office, which is tricky, but I think I can swing it. The problem is that the second the elevator is activated, the master control room gets a fairly loud notification, and the alarm system goes off. It takes roughly twenty minutes for the elevator to actually get down the shaft to his room, since it's above ground level.

I'm thinking that if I can activate it and set off a distraction long enough for him to get on, he could have a chance to get out.

...Wait...

But then he would have guards all over him once he reached the labs above ground. I wouldn't be there to show him how to get out. If he turned into a titan, well, he'd just wind up in a government lab instead. And on top of that, how do I know there isn't some type of override sequence to shut down the elevator once it's going?

Fuck. There's too many holes. I'll have to rethink this.

...

[Recording]

Eren, you really don't need to know the exact plan. All the details and fine tuning I did in those video journals for two weeks, they're not relevant to you. I'm showing you this so you can know why all of this happened, figure out what to do, understand how much you mean to me. Battle strategy doesn't exactly carry those points.

Just know that the basic idea was this: I would plant small explosives in key areas to draw attention away from your room and the control center. I would lock as many guards and workers in those areas as possible, neutralize your coding, and set the labs to self-destruct. The I'd make my way to Leonhart's office. Kill her if she's there. Call the elevator up. Then move back to your room to defend it long enough for you to get out. There were a million different ways for this to go wrong, and I did the math. One versus hundreds looks like a giant shit. Chances are that it won't work. But it was still the best thing to do. It was really the _only_ thing to do.

None of the plausible outcomes end with me breathing. You're well aware of that by now.

By this point, the elevator should be arriving in a few minutes. Get on, and it will automatically take you back up to the public building above ground. Don't turn into a titan unless you have _absolutely_ _no_ _other_ _option_. When this video's done, it'll show a map to guide you out.

The self-destruct should go off in approximately fifteen minutes. These are the final minutes I have to talk to you, Eren.

Fuck...I love you. And it's messy and untidy and inefficient and it's going to cost me my life, but I don't care. You changed me.

There was one time when we were kissing and you started crying. And I couldn't get you to stop. I thought you were upset and angry because of everything, but when I looked at you, you were smiling. It made me think that everything was going to be all right.

I wish I had told you. I love you. I wish we could have a future.

I love you, Eren. So, live. Please.

...

_"I love you, Eren. So, live. Please."_

_Live..._

_You..._

_Love..._

_Eren..._

_Please._

Eren stared up at the screen with a silent horror on his face. All around him, he could hear the shouting, gunshots, explosions... His luminescent green eyes scanned the room frantically, and he lunged for the door to open it.

_'Levi, Levi, Levi, Levi,'_ was the only thought running through his mind. But the door was locked, and if he strained his ear, he could hear the elevator rattling closer.

He had to save Levi.

He pounded on the door like an animal and opened his mouth, but no sound came from his lips. Tears welled up in his eyes as he choked on a sob. He stumbled backwards, falling onto the floor.

Misery constricted him as he punched the ground. He looked up at the door, Levi's words echoing in his mind. He didn't care that he was a clone. He didn't care that Levi was a spy. He didn't care about the formula. He didn't care about any of it. He just wanted to see steel eyes and feel raven hair and taste warm lips until he died.

How could the sky be prettier than those eyes? How could the sky be worth it?

Suddenly, the door began to vibrate, and a laser cut through the keypad. He scrambled backwards on the heels of his palms, and he distantly heard the wall open behind him to reveal the elevator. He stared up with startled confusion at the person who dashed to jam a chair between the doors of the lift before they shut.

The laser retracted into his arm, and soon he was being hauled to his feet by metallic fingers.

_'Marco.'_

The freckled cyborg grabbed his wrist and tugged him forward. "Eren, come on! We still have time to save him!"

His mind jumped into hyper drive at that, yanking his hand away and running side by side with the boy, letting him lead the way. They passed bloody corpses that stained the pure white walls and howling injured guards. Some were shot, others carried huge gashes or stab wounds. One man was missing an eye.

This was Levi's doing. This was what he was capable of.

They heard screams coming from down the hall, tearing into the air, and followed them toward Dr. Leonhart's office. The sight that greeted them there chilled Eren's blood.

Bodies were haphazardly strewn about, blood smeared against almost every surface. In the middle of all the broken test tubes, smashed tables, and fresh corpses, was Levi. Wearing black cargo pants, a bullet proof vest, and combat boots, he was breathing hard. He was wounded, hunched over, and his arms trembled with the effort of brandishing his dual swords after more than an hour of fighting. There was a frigid determination in his gaze.

He looked like he could barely stand.

Behind him, Annie Leonhart laid on the floor, her crisp white coat now splotched all over with blood. Eren saw her move though, her teeth clenched with an insane rage, pulling a knife out from her lab coat. Without hesitation, he raced to Levi, one arm outstretched to push him out of the way...

Never had he wished for a voice so much in his life.

Things seemed to happen in slow motion. The almost startled look that came across him, the spurt of blood, Eren's pulse thrumming in his ears.

He crashed to the floor, and Eren gasped as Levi clutched at his side. Near him, he heard another shot go off, and turned to see the mutilated face of Annie slump to the tile, and Marco lowering his robotic arm. He kneeled beside Levi and grasped his shoulders.

"Eren!" Levi gasped. He flinched at the anger in his voice. A gloved hand was at his wrist then, squeezing with frustration. He looked up at Marco and back to Eren. "What have you done? Why aren't you on the elevator?! There's not enough time! The building's going to collapse in ten minutes!"

Levi began trying to get up and pull him back towards his room, but he groaned with pain and clutched at his side. His gloves were stained with blood. Eren reached for him, and wrapped his arm around his shoulder as he pulled him to his feet and forced him to lean against him.

"No. You're only wasting time. Get out now. I wouldn't make it to a hospital anyway."

But then Marco was at his other side, and they started moving at a light jog. Beneath them, they could feel the rumble of the energy core below, heating up and preparing to detonate. They reached the elevator and Marco removed the chair. Then they were crawling up, and Levi was slumped against the wall, muttering to himself. Marco said something about going into shock.

Eren crouched before him, his green eyes glowing with concern in the dim lighting, Levi's own blood smeared a little on his shirt and on his cheek. The elevator groaned and the lights flickered for a moment. He removed Levi's shirt and panic seized him when he was greeted by the damage Annie had done. He searched the disoriented gaze that met his, a spectrum of monochrome, with a gulp. Blood was pooling beneath his feet, seeping into the crisp whiteness of his uniform, and the agent was growing paler by the second.

"Oh no," said Marco. Eren looked up at him pleadingly, begging him to do something. The cyborg looked down at his arm, and pulled out the laser. "I can lower the heat on this enough to just cauterize the wound. But it's going to hurt. A lot."

Eren moved over, and let Marco kneel beside him. Levi had drifted out of consciousness, and his eyes barely fluttered open.

"Five minutes," he mumbled.

At Marco's instruction, Eren held Levi down. When he activated the laser and began moving up along the injury, Levi couldn't stop the pained gasp that erupted from him. He jerked his arm away and flinched, but Eren held him still in his beaten state.

When it was over, Levi's eyes were half open and dulled over. Marco stepped back. Worried, Eren crawled closer, holding his face between his hands. Steel eyes gradually cleared and focused on him, and Eren tried to smile.

"Hey," he wheezed. "This wasn't...nhg...how it was supposed to happen. You didn't follow the script." Eren shook his head and leaned down to kiss him. It was a sad kiss – tear stained, and broken. It wasn't romantic. It wasn't beautiful. He pressed gently into Levi, and felt a pang in his chest when he felt the supple flesh against his mouth. Those lips were growing cold.

As if it would bring back the blood in his veins, Eren kept kissing him, He pressed his tongue into his mouth and breathed heavily and nibbled his lower lip. He tangled his fingers in his raven hair and cupped his jaw lightly like a starved man. Like Levi was the only sustenance he'd seen in years.

But when he pulled back, Levi's eyes were closed. He put both of his hands to his face once more and swept his bangs back, mouthing desperate cries for him to wake up.

He didn't respond.

His breath hitched, and a rumbling roar started beneath them. The self-destruct. The end.

He felt the walls and floor grow hot as the elevator shook violently, but he never looked away from Levi. He never looked away from that pale skin and dark lashes. Behind him, Marco was silent, watching them with unspoken despair.

But then, the lift halted, and the doors opened. Marco gasped and grabbed them then without hesitation, threw them out of the doors, leaping out just as they closed, and smoke shot out from the crevices. Eren was just getting to his feet when Marco flung Levi's limp body over his shoulder and started running. Urging his legs to move, the clone followed them around the corner just as the doors blew off and the fire of the explosion ripped through the hallway.

Then they were running, and Eren could still only focus on Levi's limp arms as they swayed with each step Marco took. On the bobbing of his head. He'd never noticed how slim his neck was before. How fragile he looked. They followed the map on the screens, and soon found the front entrance where every other worker was fleeing to.

They burst through the door, and Marco was calling for help.

Eren inhaled, his eyes widened, and everything seemed move in slow motion again.

His first breath outside. His first taste of freedom. It was crisp and cold and fresh and wonderful. He was still running, and faintly heard the wail of sirens nearing. Looking up, he saw the sky, and gasped in wonder at its dark velvet spread, dotted with brilliant white lights.

This happened all in an instant. Then he was tossed to the ground, rolling across green blades of plants and staring in awe as the sterile white building before him collapsed and sunk into the ground, swallowed by fire.

"Get him on a stretcher!"

He whirled and saw a man and woman lifting Levi's form onto a cot with wheels and pushing him towards a white box with bright lights. He ran after them, mouthing at them not to hurt him. The woman saw him and his bloodstained shirt, and caught his arm.

"Hey! Stop! Are you alright?" He nodded, but she started prodding at him anyway as she spoke with urgency. "You know him?" He nodded, breathing hard. The man was working over Levi's body now. He reached for him, but the woman stopped him again. "Hey, were going to take care of him. What's your name?" He shook his head. "You can't talk?" Another nod.

"Petra," a voice called. They turned to see a formidable man with blonde hair swept to one side striding to them. He gestured to Levi. "He's one of mine. If he dies, expect a lot of trouble."

"O-of course, Sir!" She jumped into the white box with wheels after that, shouting orders, putting wires in him, hovering over him. The doors slammed shut, and it sped off into the night. Eren scrambled after them, after Levi, but was again stopped.

"Eren," the man said. "My name is Erwin Smith. I'm the one who sent Levi here. Come with me – you and your friend. I'll take care of everything. Trust me."

Lost, afraid, and confused, he reluctantly nodded, and followed Erwin out to his car. They were out in a field, off the freeway, and there was grass everywhere. Marco was already there waiting for them. The drive was occupied by Marco telling what had happened softly, and Eren staring numbly out the window. The adrenaline was dying, and he was left with an empty cavern in him.

When they came to a stop, Eren looked up at a tall building with many windows. "It's a hotel," Erwin explained to them. "You'll be staying here until we figure out other arrangements." The man looked down as his cell phone buzzed. "That's Petra. She says Levi might pull through if he makes it through the night."

"What are we going to do now?" Marco asked.

"I have an agent in there waiting for you. His name's Jean. He'll look after you." Nodding, the cyborg left reluctantly to enter the building, covering his robotic arm with the jacket Erwin had given him, and Eren moved to follow.

"Eren," the man called quietly. "Things are bad." The brunet faced him with a nervous expression, guilt washing over him, only to be replaced by confusion when Erwin smiled at him. "But you're special. I've never met anyone that could crack Levi like you have. And I mean that in the best possible way. Don't worry too much. Even if Levi isn't here tomorrow, we'll work things out. "

As he followed Marco and Jean into their room that night, Eren wondered how cracking Levi could ever be a good thing, if this was what it led to.

...

_Author's Note: One or two more to go. It'll depend. I hope you're enjoying this, because I still haven't decided on the ending yet. It could be very nice, very sad, bittersweet, or downright tragic. Decisions, decisions. Well, you'll find out anyway._

_Thanks,_

_ValorTheory_


	4. It's Not Over

His eyes followed after him lazily, trailing the contours of his lithe body and skimming past the rest of the room. He hissed as he sat up, watching him walk away and around the corner. The brunet came back a minute later with a glass of water and bottle of pills in hand.

"I don't need this shit."

He swallowed two anyway.

He let his hand brush along the bandages that hugged his abdomen, feeling the slight bumps of the stitches underneath. Someone else's liver was in there. His was out in a garbage bin. So he took his medicine and he didn't meet Eren's eyes. They still glowed, and it was a small familiarity in the rapid changes that had occurred over the past weeks.

Levi felt the bed dip as the mute sat down beside him. They hadn't truly spoken about what had happened that night. What had been said and done and heard. Eren just looked at him like he wasn't really there, a figment of a dream from a while ago. It infuriated him, but he never put the issue out there, because that would be opening that door and releasing the flood.

The easy thing about speaking your mind right before you die is that you have no accountability. There's no consequence, no responsibility. It's just you and your words. Your legacy. And he'd done that. He'd been ready to die. He'd been ready to be released and go up in flames and heroism and bravery and dramatics. He'd been ready to set everything free.

But he wasn't dead. And that was the root of the silence that grew out of the floorboards and slithered up the plastered walls of the temporary living arrangement.

"I didn't die," he said pointedly. Eren nodded unenthusiastically, his gaze downcast as he curled his toes against the carpet.

"Things are different now." Another nod. "I won't die." Eren looked up at him and stood. He took the bottle of pills and returned them to the bathroom they shared. Levi sighed.

...

Two weeks ago, he'd been in the hospital. With bandages and monitors coiled all around him, it was hard to believe he wasn't part robot at that point. He kept expecting Marco to burst in and welcome him to the club with a badge or something. Waking up after surgery had been slow and hazy. Then he was left there with too many unanswered questions.

Why couldn't he feel anything in his torso? Where was Eren? What had happened after they reached the elevator? What was Marco _thinking_ letting Eren out to go rescue him?! Who was really alive and dead? He bit his lip and scowled up at the ceiling uselessly until he heard a knock at his door.

"Erwin?"

The tall man took a seat next to him, folding his hands in his lap calmly. "How are you, Levi?"

"I just had one organ ripped out and another shoved in. How the fuck do you think I feel?"

"I meant up here," he said as he tapped his forehead.

Levi looked away, shame and humiliation coursing over him. He knew he should be glad. Not dying was amazing. It should have been impossible. He was there and breathing and he would see Eren as much as he wanted. That should have been more than enough to lift his gloom, but it wasn't. He was exhausted, and he had a feeling that if he wasn't in a coffin, Eren wasn't all that happy with him. And Hanji — fuck. What was she going to think about all this?

He almost didn't feel Erwin's hand fall on his leg in the midst of all the anxieties running through his head. "Don't stress about it. You're safe. Eren's safe. That's a miracle of a starting point. You really owe that Marco kid a beer or something."

"Shut up. I..."

"I get it, Levi. I really do. But this — you being here," he said as he gestured to him. "This is a good thing. I expect nothing less from the best."

He sighed and shook his head, a small smile turning. "About that, Erwin," he started.

"You want to quit. Don't you?"

He nodded.

"I understand. Naturally, I'll expect you to keep in touch anyways."

"Like I have a choice in the matter."

"Well, you're right about that." Erwin stood up and stretched."You, Marco, and Eren are going to be under our witness protection program for a while."

"Naturally," he mocked.

...

So there he was, slumped on a bed, watching the anchormen, the gavels, and the protesters beat down Titan Industries while the headlines scrolled by underneath. It gave him little satisfaction. He closed his eyes and let the television fade into white noise, curling his fingers into a loose fist to feel his skin.

When he woke up to the small thumping of footsteps, it was sunset outside. It was strange how a boy who could transform into a giant could be so light on his feet. Either way, the painkillers were working their magic, and he gazed at Eren with a hazy stare.

"Hey," he greeted.

Eren handed him a piece of paper.

_"I was scared. I'm still scared. What are we supposed to do now?"_

Hanji had been coming over regularly to check on them and bring food at least once a day. She liked to stay and teach Eren to write, and he'd made remarkable progress. She told him that when things settled down, he could get a sign language instructor.

Levi gave the paper back. "I don't know. I didn't exactly plan for this far."

Eren winced.

"Sorry." Levi patted the space next to him on the bed, and Eren crawled over. They laid side by side, shoulders pressed together.

"I guess you don't really know what your choices are, do you?" He shook his head. Levi took a breath. "You could go to school, or get a job... I bet Erwin would let you join the Scout Agency if you wanted to. I'd advise against it though. Whatever you want to do. It's your choice, brat."

Levi turned to face Eren, and realized something very important.

His luminescent green eyes stared back at him with a lost sense of confusion. And then Levi knew that Eren didn't know anything about freedom. He didn't know anything about choosing for himself, acting for himself, or moving on his own. He knew about needles. He knew about test drones and white walls and words that would literally shut down his mind.

He didn't know how to fly. He could barely fathom that he had wings.

"Shit," he muttered.

But through the turbulent waters of perplexity, Eren did make a decision. He rolled onto his side and placed his hand on Levi's arm, rubbing his thumb carefully over the sleeve. He made sure the older man was paying attention before he mouthed the words, "With. You."

Levi didn't know where things were going from that point. All the same, it was a relief to know what his starting line was. With a fully developed, bio-enhanced clone of Eren Jaeger, Levi took his mark, got set...

Go.

...

It turned out that going was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

He was finally able to move about freely without much strain, and Eren had to keep an eye on him when he tried to exercise. Still, he was getting itchy. They'd been on protective lockdown for nearly a month. He didn't break Eren out of one cage just to toss him in another.

Still, things were better than he could have asked for. He'd catch the boy curled up in a chair, staring out the window with a small smile for hours at a time.

At least he knew the sky had been worth it.

Eren was still drawing as well. His pictures occupied several spaces along the walls and refrigerator. He was honestly like a little kid. He was using colors again. It actually made Levi and Hanji very proud to see the rough outline of a bird, squirrel, cat, car, of just even the hillsides on those papers.

Speaking of the lunatic, she'd been awfully...tame. She had yet to even bring up Levi's almost-death, and actually ignored him when she came over. When they talked, the conversation was limited to Eren, Eren's progress, and Eren's future. She hadn't even prattled on about any of her experiments. Her smiles were smaller, and Levi found himself a bit worried.

Still, he also had to deal with the guy he lived with.

They still hadn't really broached the topic of Levi's death message, and he had a feeling it wouldn't happen any time soon.

Levi was seated at the kitchen counter, sipping a cup of coffee, when there was a knock at the door. Hanji had just left, so it was highly unlikely that it was her. He pulled his handgun out from under the sink and moved to peer through the peep hole.

Erwin, that bastard.

Levi let him in with a frown, and was surprised to see a second blonde head — though significantly closer to the ground — appear as well.

"Erwin, who the fuck is this?"

He hummed lightly at he laid his coat over the back of the sofa. "Let's say he's my intern. Armin, Levi. Levi, Armin." Eren came into the room from around the corner. Wordlessly, they all gathered to sit around the coffee table.

"Well, now that we all know each other," Levi started, shooting a mild glare at the so-called 'intern' and making him gulp, "What do you want now?"

"You need to be relocated."

Levi scowled and crossed his arms. "Why so fast? It usually takes longer than this."

"Well, this time it didn't."

This time Armin pitched in, waving his pencil above his clipboard. "I found you a secluded area in a mountain pass. You should be safe there for at least two or three months."

"And for exactly how long are we going to run from these weasels?" Levi leaned towards Erwin, tossing a glance at Eren as he did so.

The blonde furrowed his brow. "I think you'll have to give it at least a year or two; if not longer. I know it's inconvenient."

Tossing another look at his charge, Levi's frown deepened. "How the hell is he supposed to go to school or anything then? I didn't get him out of that cave just to change out the walls."

"Um," Armin spoke up. "I could tutor Eren. Would that be okay with you?" he asked the mute. Eren nodded.

Levi crossed his arms and grumbled. He didn't like this. He didn't like feeling so vulnerable. He didn't like running without a definite plan. He didn't like that he hadn't been able to take Eren out on a walk around town. He hated it. He was frustrated.

"Fine," he forced out. "We'll start packing then." Levi briskly left the room and hurried to his room. He heard the door shut as Erwin and Armin left, but paid it no mind. Nearly growling, he flung open the door to the closet and started pulling out what few clothes he had stored there. He haphazardly tossed them onto the bed behind him, crouched down, and yanked his suitcase angrily out from beneath the bed.

It wasn't often he lost his temper.

He grasped at the clothes and stuffed them into the case with no sense of his usual meticulous organization and order. With a furious breath, he slammed it shut and stared at it, scowling.

Eren was standing in the doorway.

Levi looked up and was almost astonished to see him there. The boy looked down at the suitcase with that same worry. The same, hovering concern that hadn't left since the labs. Levi let his shoulders slump, his fists uncurl at his sides, and they stared for a long moment.

When Eren nervously swallowed and finally stepped into the room, Levi spoke again. "I just don't want to keep running from them. I want you to go outside already. I'm frustrated." He'd become very good at explaining his emotions to Eren lately. They seemed to jump out of his mouth.

When Eren didn't respond, Levi assumed that was the end of the awkward encounter, and turned to repack his things neatly. He was nearly done folding the last shirt when he felt a warmth press into his back from behind, and two arms wrap around his torso. A kiss was pressed gently into his hair, and he finally allowed an exhausted sigh to escape him.

He turned to face Eren, and they kissed. It was the first real kiss they'd had outside. The first real kiss in open air.

And that was when Levi truly thought they were going to be okay.

...

It was a cabin. Well furnished, modern heating and cooling systems, it was perfectly comfortable. Hanji was teary-eyed as she said goodbye to Eren. She wouldn't be able to see them anymore while they were there. She could be traced.

She'd spent the last hour delaying her departure as long as possible by explaining trees and photosynthesis and geology and evolution to Eren. He was kneeling in the dirt of the forest floor with her, combing his fingers through the soil and smoothing his palm over the bark of the trees. His smile was impossibly wide.

Levi had already set about cleaning every nook and cranny of the place to his standards, and was done by the time she said farewell and drove off.

Then it was just them again.

After settling in, Levi showed Eren how to set up the computer and video camera so that he could talk to Armin and be tutored. Their secure network also allowed Levi to stay caught up on the news and Titan Industries. They were crumbling.

He slept that night curled next to Eren. It was wonderful.

He was so, immeasurably glad that he had survived. Even if it meant some medication he didn't favor.

The sky was worth it. Eren was worth it. Sleeping next to him and kissing him and just staring at his drawings in the morning while he sipped his coffee was worth everything.

He wondered if that was what love was.

...

The cabin didn't last two months. It lasted for twelve days. Twelve days of bliss, and then everything was wrong again.

The first thing he noticed was that the roof was gone, bit of plaster raining down on the living room where they stood. Then there were the eyes. Huge, pulsing spheres that stared down at them and all of a sudden it was almost impossible to breathe. Tick. Tick. Frozen time.

"Eren, MOVE!"

Her hand smashed into the couch and they were running. Their fingers remained interlocked tightly as they wove and ducked under the low-hanging branches. Their bare feet were scratched by the underbrush, but their hearts were pumping too furiously to notice.

There was a giant woman chasing them. Just as tall as Eren's titan.

Levi could feel the earth tremble with her crashing footsteps. Could feel Eren's fingers holding onto him so tightly that it hurt. Could feel his breath caught in his throat as he ran, ran, ran like hell because if she caught them they were dead.

He wasn't going to get two miracles.

They skidded down the hillside and came to a sudden halt. Eren clung to his arm as they stared down at the ravine, breathing hard and hearing her thundering footsteps approach.

There it was again. That helplessness.

He looked at Eren, desperate. But by the time he had turned his head, the boy was already shoving him into the bushes and biting down hard on his hand. It bled. There was a flash of light. Distantly, Levi heard his own voice yelling above the wind.

He pushed the branches from his face as he sat up and was confronted by the scene of two enormous beings brawling one another. Eren and the female grappled and hit and kicked and threw. As they knocked over trees and made the earth tremble, Levi was suddenly rooted in his position. He examined her face, her eyes and nose and hair. He watched the way she fought, and remembered the bruises he earned fighting in the labs underground.

Annie Leonhart.

But she was dead, it couldn't be her. It couldn't be her, but she shoved Eren away and looked at him with a twisted grin that couldn't belong to anyone else.

"Eren!" Then he was running, trying to communicate with his lover. Eren had never showed any signs of consciousness while in titan form though, and it was a gamble to try to reason with him. "Eren! It's Annie!"

If he heard, he didn't heed. Instead, he slung his fist at her, making contact and breaking the appendage off in the process with a roar that practically shook the earth. She rolled back onto her feet, and charged him.

Levi slammed the emergency button on the side of his watch, watching the red light flicker furiously. "Shit." Then he was tearing through the forest again, and he felt the wave of it sweep over him. The calm. It was like turning to stone but throwing off weight. Everything became clear to him, and his limbs were steeled.

When he found it, the extra storehouse of supplies, he ripped away at the stacked boxes until he caught the flash of light and seized the gun. Sprinting back to where the action was happening, he faintly heard the buzz of helicopters in the distance.

Eren was on the ground, Annie beating into him without remorse. Levi scrambled up the face of a huge rock and took aim. The spray of bullets went into her ear and jaw. She flinched in surprise, and it was just enough for Eren to come up and flip her over.

"The nape of the neck, Eren! Get her fucking neck!"

But he didn't. He just started swinging. His fists flew until they were nothing more than bleeding stumps. That was when Annie grabbed him with her legs and flung him over the cliff side.

She was about to jump after him, but an explosion ripped her balance from her, and she tumbled backwards into the trees. Looking up, Levi saw the helicopters overhead, weapons aimed at the enemy. He didn't need prompting. He dropped the gun and ran as fast as he could away from her, and managed to duck behind a huge boulder just in time.

The earth shook beneath them, and Levi could only cover his head and try to save his hearing. It didn't help much. His ears were ringing by the end of it, and he flinched when a hand nudged his shoulder.

"Hanji! Shit."

She winced slightly, probably because of his volume, but didn't mention it. "We got here as fast as we could. The surveillance cameras picked up on her before your call went out."

He shook his head and stumbled around to see where Annie lay, not much more than a bleeding lump of flesh at that point. There was blood everywhere, slowly dissolving into steam. "The nape. Did you get the nape of her neck? Tell me that's where you were aiming."

"Um. I don't know, Levi. I'll go in now to be sure. Half the team is going to retrieve Eren." With that she ran off, and Levi's focus shifted. He went to the cliff side, where he saw the titan body of his lover clawing at the walls. His leg was mangled, snapped in half, and he wasn't getting anywhere. Still, he was spitting mad, howling and roaring.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the special ops team getting ropes ready to descend. "Hey!" he called, running over to them. "Let me handle this. When he's in this form, he doesn't have control. I need to see if he might recognize me first. No sense in letting him kill you."

One of the men removed his helmet. It was Farlan. "Are you sure? You're not in the best shape right now."

It was true. He hadn't noticed, but there was a nasty gash on his leg, and he'd been hit in the head somewhere between the explosions. "I'm fine," he said quickly. Give me your gear. I'll see if I can cut him out without this escalating."

Once he was wearing Farlan's chest armor and carrying his sword, Levi grabbed the rope, tied it around his waist, and scaled down the ravine wall.

"Levi," Farlan shouted after him. "If you can't get through to him in ten minutes, we're going in."

The second he was half-way down, Eren whipped his head to snarl at him. His eyes were glowing furiously, and his teeth were gnashing.

"Eren, it's me. Levi. Come on." He stayed at the half-way point, dangling just to the side of the titan. He leaped off the side of the wall when a hand lunged for him and crashed into the rock. Still holding onto the rope, he ran across Eren's shoulder blades to the other side, planting himself again.

Another roar reverberated around Levi, and he clenched his hand around Farlan's blade.

"Eren! Snap out of it now!" He dodged another hit, but just when he thought he was in the clear, Eren's fingers wrapped around the rope. "No, don't!" He tugged on the cord, dislodging it from the top of the ravine, leaving Levi to dangle beneath Eren's fist.

Moving quickly, Levi used the sword to slash through the rope, fully expecting a vicious impact with the ground. Instead, he found his lungs being compressed together. Eren had caught him, and he wasn't at all gentle.

With a grunt, Levi pushed against his hand. "Eren, stop!" He looked into the enormous green orbs in front of him, and swore he saw something flicker for a moment. "It's me! We're okay! Annie is being dealt with!" He had no idea how much, if any, of his shouting Eren understood, but something moved him to just keep talking, even if it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

Eren roared in his face, and Levi saw Farlan's team moving forward. He felt a tinge of panic. "Farlan! Don't come any further! My ten minutes aren't up!"

He got no response, but they stopped moving. Suddenly, his ears were ringing again, and he felt the wind of Eren's roar tousling his hair. When he opened his eyes though, Eren was shaking his head, and he slammed it back against the ravine wall in his conflict.

"That's it!" he growled out. He gasped as he tried to take in a breath, only getting a little air. He nearly whimpered, and almost immediately, Eren's grip slackened enough for him to breathe. Levi coughed violently for a few moments, and noticed Eren moving his face closer. He was transferred to his other hand, which was laid out flat so that he could pull himself to his feet.

Sighing with relief, Levi lifted his hand to Eren's nose. "I knew you'd come through," he rasped. He looked down at his blade. "Eren, I need to cut you out of there."

With a subtle nod, Eren sank down until he was cross-legged, and leaned forward to expose his neck as he lifted Levi there. The cut was swift and clean, and soon Levi was tugging his lover from the tangle of muscle. Cradling him carefully, Levi slid down the back of the titan body, landing softly on the ground. Eren hazily opened his eyes long enough to look up at Levi, and then fell back into unconsciousness.

Levi heard Farlan coming up behind him, and gave him a quick nod of thanks. He heard a skidding sound, and saw Hanji descending onto them, panic on her face.

"Levi! We need to move!"

Just then, one of the helicopters went down, and the shriek of the female titan echoed across the valley.

...

_Author's Note: I'm really sorry about the slow update. Some advice: don't take four AP classes at once and run two clubs if you want free time in your life for things like fanfiction. I don't think the next update will be much quicker, which, with the ending of this chapter, I understand might be irritating. I appreciate your patience._

_Thanks,_

_ValorTheory_


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